THE EDENDALE SALE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1678, 27 April 1904, Page 31

THE EDENDALE SALE.

WAS THE PRICE EXCESSIVE? QUALITY OFTHE LAND. The Minister far Lands, on being seen on Monday about the large number of sections not taken tup at the Edendale sale of Friday last, expressed some astonishment at the result, but more at. the surmised cause, viz., the high price oh the seations. The price, he maintains, compares very favourably with that at which land of the same quality is selling in other parts of the colony. In this

connection it is understood in some quarters, though the Minister did not express himself to that effect, that the adverse criticism probably originated with .disappointed applicants, of whom there are sometimes a number disqualified in connection with applications Hinder the Land for Settlements Act. The Land Boards in these cases always require to be satisfied about the fitness of applicants financially and otherwise, and when not satisfied debar the applicants from the ballot. The natural result is sometimes a complaiuii that the alleged high prices are the cause of the Board's dissatisfaction.

There are applicants, of course, who are disappointed at the ballot, and as there was very keen oom petition for the sections that were taken up at Edmdale, there must be a pretty long list of disappointed applicants. In similar cases, a proportion of these try their l»uck at the succeeding ballots, and on some occasions the areas taken up by them at the second . ballot have been known to aggregate as much as 3000 to 4000 acres. It is possible, of course, thari this experience will be repeated at Eden dale. At the same time, it is a fact that the percentage of sections not taken up at the first ballot there was unusually large; so much so that the Minister" is making special inquiries about the matter.

The land is of excellent quality, the Minister pointed out in the course of conversation, growing grass, turnips and cattle feed of all kinds remarkably well. It is, moreover, in excellent condition , having been very carefully farmed by the -company. A few years ago Mr Brydone, the company’s manager, read a remarkable paper before the Southland Past-oral Association on the use of lime as a fertiliser, largely from experience derived at Eden dale. The practice has been continued from that time, with the result that there is no sign of scrrcl., so- much dreaded in that part of the country, and the land as in clean and hearty condition. It does 'not, according to another authority, seen yesterday, look so well at this time of year as it did in the early summer, but to the practised eye of the farmer that makes no difference. The attraction of the property to dairy farmers is completed by the presence of cheese and butter factories. The cheese faotory at Edendalo has a great name, as it was the very first 'established' in the colony, and has been kept up-to-date right through by the company. Asked as to what class of farming the laud is specially suited for, the Minister said that, in his opinion, probably the men who wont to Edendalo expecting to see land that would give good result® from cropping would be disappointed. But the farmer who understands dairy farming, and is therefore prepared to house his cattle in winter and grow food for them of the right kinds, for all cf which the soil is eminently suitable, such a one is likely to do very well, and would n'ot think of grumbling at the price of the land as excessive. Yet another authority seen on Monday pointed out that land in Southland is not a favourite with the selectors. Australians, North Island men and Canterbury men seldom think of going in that direction, preferring the more northern climates. It has been observed, in fact, that throughout the South Island of late years the area of attraction is smaller than in the North. For example, it is said by observers that at the sale of the Levels Elstate (Timaru) recently there were very few, if any, selectors from the north cf Ashburton, in Canterbury, or south of Otepopo, in North Otago. It is surmised that at Edendale there were few from anywhere north of Dunedin. Far the present it is too soon to express disappointment at the result of the sale at Eden dale. There are still many selectors, and there will bo more ballots.